Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch - Dir. Zack Snyder (2011)

It's ironic that Zack Snyder calls his production company, Cruel and Unusual Films, because his latest picture is a cruel and unusual experience. Sucker Punch is a tedious and exhausting exercise in sensory overload. Snyder has been marketed as a "visionary director" for helming a surprisingly good remake of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead as well as the meticulously faithful comic book adaptations, 300 and Watchmen. Visionary? I actually agree. It takes a man of unique vision to make such a dull movie, despite the fact that it revolves around beautiful young girls armed to the teeth with automatic weapons, swords, and mechsuits.

Snyder unleashes his first film based on an original idea, fleshed out by himself and co-writer Steve Shibuya. However, all Sucker Punch proves is that Snyder doesn't have an original idea floating around in his head. Just bits and pieces of all those issues of Heavy Metal he grew up on with whatever hip video games, anime, and comics the kids are all talking about these days.

Sucker Punch opens with a wordless prologue set in the 1960's and featuring Emily Browning as a blonde, pig-tailed girl known only as Baby Doll. The actress provides something akin to narration with a melodiously melancholy version of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by The Eurythmics. Baby Doll's mother has passed away, leaving her and a younger sister in the charge of their wicked stepfather (Gerard Plunkett), who is angered at being cut out of the will. Baby Doll accidentally shoots her sibling while trying to stop stepdad from molesting her. As a result, he has Baby Doll committed to a mental institute. It's a feel-good movie for the whole family.

The ticking clock counts down when the stepfather bribes a crooked orderly, Blue (Oscar Isaac), to forge a signature from Dr. Gorski (Carla Gugino) in order to have Baby Doll lobotomized. She must find a way to escape from this gothic horror show and does so in more ways than one. Baby Doll imagines the insane asylum is now a high-class nightclub/bordello where she and her fellow inmates are forced to work as dancers and hookers. Blue is re-imagined as the owner/pimp with Gorski as their demanding dance instructor. As Baby Doll is forced to strut her stuff, her mind travels deeper into a second fantasy world where we go from Black Swan to Kill Bill with our heroine dressed in a black schoolgirl outfit and looking like the pinky violence version of Sailor Moon. There, she is tasked by the Wise Man (Scott Glenn in the David Carradine role) to gather a collection of objects which will facilitate her escape.

Soon, she is joined by Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), and Amber (Jamie Chung). Trading in burlesque outfits for dominatrix combat gear, they become an elite fighting force battling Nazi steampunk zombies on an apocalyptic WWII battleground, Orcs and fire-breathing dragons in a dark Lord of the Rings inspired castle, and gleaming robots on a speeding futuristic bullet train.

The action sequences are undeniably the main attraction of Sucker Punch and it's obvious they were Snyder's primary concern. The marketing has revolved entirely around ass-kicking girls. The over-the-top fantasy realms Snyder has dreamed up are stunning, confectionary visuals for the undemanding movie-goer seeking sweet, sweet eye candy. These scenes revel in their ludicrousness. In the first fantasy, Baby Doll delivers a death blow to a giant samurai armed with a Gatling gun then walks away in slow motion as everything explodes behind her and all set to Bjork's "Army of Me." The very idea seems fun at first until you realize that there are no stakes or emotional engagement. Snyder makes no attempt to blur the lines between reality and fantasy. We know we are in the protagonist's imagination as such we know the girls are in no danger because none of it is real. Once the novelty wears off, the spectacular set pieces become more and more dull to the point where the final sequence descends into a chaotic mess as Snyder crams as much as possible into every shot. Snyder tops it off by drowning everything with fem-rock covers of tunes by varied artists like the Stooges, the Beatles, and the Pixies ("Where is My Mind" to really drive the point home). Some of the songs are quite good such as a cover of "White Rabbit" by Emiliana Torrini (another Icelandic artist), but an obnoxious gangsta rap mash-up of Queen's "We Will Rock You," succinctly signifies exactly what went wrong with this jam session of half-baked concepts.

Simply because the film features women wielding weapons larger than their petite frames, it is somehow meant as a rallying cry for girl power. On the contrary, Sucker Punch is merely an indulgent adolescent fanboy wet dream masquerading as female empowerment. It doesn't help that the leads have even less defined personalities than the Spice Girls. The outfits are certainly fetishized with Baby Doll and company going from bustiers, silk stockings, and high heels to bustiers, silk stockings, high heels, and machine guns. There's nothing wrong with that and it isn't dissimilar to the sweaty bare-chested Spartans of 300. No, the main problem is that nearly all the butt kicking the heroines supposedly do only occurs in a second level fantasy, a solitary refuge from a fatalistic world where abuse and sexual assault are constant threats. Even in this dreamland it is the Wise Man who offers the girls sage advice and points them in the direction towards the path to liberation. It's a surprise Snyder didn't go the more obvious route and place Carla Gugino's character into the role of the mentor. Alas, the strong matriarch is reduced to either an ineffectual authority figure or a weeping mess brought to her knees by male brutality.

Has Warner Brothers' golden boy, Zack Snyder, lost some of his luster? It bares bad omens for his upcoming Superman reboot. With a production budget of over $80 million (not factoring in marketing costs), it had to be a more than a disappointment that Sucker Punch (even with overpriced IMAX screenings) was sucker punched by the family friendly, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2. The negative critical response probably helped in spreading bad word of mouth about the film. It will likely be a long time before Snyder is given free reign as he clearly bit off more than he could chew. Sucker Punch tries to be far too many things as if Snyder polled Comic-Con attendees about their favorite things and smashed them all together. It's Moulin Rouge meets Inception. It's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with the Pussycat Dolls. It's Girls with Guns, Interrupted. It's just a terrible mess, a thinly veiled video game haphazardly brought to movie screens.

Rating: * ½ (*****)

Pride & Prejudice

Pride & Prejudice - Dir. Joe Wright (2005)


The works of Jane Austen have been translated for film and television numerous times. Some of which include: Ang Lee's Sense & Sensibility and Clueless, a modern update of Emma. Of all her novels, Pride & Prejudice is the most often adapted. There was a 1940 version starring Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson, a Bollywood version called Bride & Prejudice, and several BBC miniseries, the best of which is the one from 1995 with Colin Firth. It was Firth's performance in that particular version that lead to him being cast in the Pride & Prejudice-inspired Bridget Jones's Diary, in pretty much the same role, no less.

This latest attempt casts Keira Knightley in the role of Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest of five sisters. Elizabeth is intelligent and not afraid to speak her mind, unlike most of the women of her time. Her oldest sister is Jane (Rosamund Pike), who is considered to be the most beautiful. Mary (Talulah Riley) is the quiet, middle sister, more concerned with books and the piano than socializing. The youngest of the bunch is Lydia, played by Jena Malone, one of the few Americans in the production. Lydia is, perhaps, too fun-loving for her own good and she's always followed around by Kitty. Their mother, Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn), spends her day trying to find suitable husbands for all her daughters, especially in light of their financial situation. Without a son, the estate of Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland) will be passed onto a cousin, leaving the Bennet women without a home.

Things look up with the arrival of Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), who hits it off right away with Jane. The same can't be said for Elizabeth and Bingley's friend, Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfayden), his arrogant and curt attitude rub her the wrong way. Elizabeth confesses, "I swore to loathe him for eternity." Of course, this is movie talk for, "I am madly in love with him and we will be together before the credits roll."

Darcy isn't the only one to get underneath Elizabeth's skin. Much to her dismay, she is courted by the diminutive Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), the cousin that stands to inherit her home. Despite her mother's wishes, Elizabeth has no interest whatsoever in Mr. Collins. Spurned, Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth's best friend, Charlotte Lucas (Claudie Blakely), who agrees as her family needs the money and at the age of 27 (a spinster in her era), she cannot expect another offer as good. It's an emotional moment that could have been more effective had her character been developed more.

Even at a length of over two hours, Pride & Prejudice isn't able to devote the time it needs to the multitude of characters and subplots. While it's hard to keep things straight sometimes, it's a small gripe considering how well-made the film is. This is, by far, the most gorgeous looking of all the Jane Austen movies which culminates with a rendezvous at dusk between Elizabeth and Darcy. This is a great accomplishment for director Joe Wright, who had previously worked in TV before making his feature film debut with Pride & Prejudice.

Wright uses a moving master shot at the start of the film to introduce us to the Bennet household. He uses an even better one during a ballroom scene. The camera seamlessly moves throughout the mansion as it follows one character to the next and so on. It's no wonder that Wright has garnered some impressive accolades for his work. He was chosen as Best New Filmmaker by the Boston Society of Film Critics, British Director of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards, and won the Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the BAFTAs.

Speaking of awards, Keira Knightley has gained her own recognition for her performance as she snagged nominations for Best Actress at the Golden Globes and Oscars. As Elizabeth, she continues playing the tomboyish characters that she's done so often. Yet, at the same time, she is able to do more than the superficial macho posturing that was done in King Arthur or Domino. There's a splendid scene where the camera pans around Elizabeth as she comes to the realization of how much she truly loves Darcy, while she is staring at a bust of him. And I think it goes without saying that Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench are wonderful in their roles.

Pride & Prejudice is a solid film enhanced by a cast of great actors and a talented, young director.

Rating: ***

The Messenger

The Messenger - Dir. Oren Moverman (2009)


There has been a spate of socially conscious films focusing on the war in the Middle East and the current socio-political climate. Rendition, Stop Loss, Redacted, Lions For Lambs, and Home of the Brave, to name a few. The majority of these films have flopped financially from audiences already inundated with these issues on the news. They’ve flopped critically due to filmmakers shoving their own agendas down the throats of whoever was unfortunate enough to sit through the picture. 2009 saw a pair of relevant films that won critics over and were certainly deserving of wider release. I’m speaking of The Hurt Locker, which has made its way onto dozens of “Best Of” lists and a sure contender for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and The Messenger.

Ben Foster stars as Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery who is sent home after being injured in Iraq. He returns not to a hero’s welcome, but to a sparsely decorated apartment, finding some catharsis listening to loud heavy metal music. His girlfriend, Kelly (Jena Malone), has moved on with her life and plans to wed another man.

With his tour of duty almost up, the Army assigns him to the Casualty Notification Team. Alongside Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), a recovering alcoholic who narrowly missed seeing action in Desert Storm, SSgt. Montgomery has the unenviable task of informing family members that their loved one was killed in action. The Notification Team treats their duties the only way they can…with military precision. They are to get in and get out. They refer to the family only as NOKs (Next of Kin) and are not allowed to make physical contact at all. They follow a script that is specific in the language used. Soft terms like “passed away” or “no longer with us” are not to be spoken.

It is an emotionally draining job for SSgt. Montgomery still struggling with the traumatic experience that took him off the battlefield. The team’s heartbreaking news is met with inconsolable sadness or even blind rage. Montgomery and Stone are taken aback when the widowed Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton) reacts with surprising stoicism. She manages to hold it together and even shakes their hands, knowing the difficult position they are put in. SSgt. Montgomery disobeys orders and begins spending time with Olivia and her son.

Writer/director Oren Moverman previously co-wrote Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan-inspired I’m Not There and once served in the Israeli army. The Messenger is his directorial debut and is an assured first effort that heralds the arrival of a filmmaker with plenty of potential. For the notification scenes, Moverman abstained from the rehearsal process and didn’t inform his leads who they would meet or how they would react. He allows the camera to observe unobtrusively. If there is camera movement during these sequences, it’s slight and almost documentary-like.

The acting is strong all around with Ben Foster bringing his usual intensity and Woody Harrelson deftly blending his flair for the comedic and the dramatic. Samantha Morton shines in her role as the newly widowed Olivia. It’s a subtle, low-key performance. She hits all the right notes without resorting to the melodramatic histrionics of the usual Oscar bait performance. Morton has proven to be one of the best actresses of the past decade her roles in Minority Report, In America, Control and even her cartoony portrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots in the bombastic Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

The Messenger isn’t concerned with pushing a pedantic, political agenda for the left or the right. The film is all about the human element which is why it succeeds.

Rating: ***